Well in that case I just might have to buy some!
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Simmons looks really good for sure!
No one has mentioned it yet, so Iāll add that Iāve grown a lot of varieties in 7b and OāNeal has been the best both for production and flavor. If I could only grow one it would be OāNeal for sure.
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Patriot is excellent. Ready July 5th near me.
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Iāll add 2 cents to the discussion.
Simmons nursery Iāll have to check out. Fitch, Jungs, Burnt Ridgeāall have good bare root blueberries. And quart sizes in pots from Jungs also ok. (But donāt try the cuttings and little 4" sizes nor any from test tubes less than 2 years oldāunless youāre an expert alreadyāno matter the size of the nursery or the number of years in business.)
Iāve lost far too many of the plants from Hartmannās this spring/summerā¦from the group orderā¦quart sized.
There isnāt a ābestā blueberry, as the topic asks.
The best one in Florida isnāt best in Virginia and the best one in California isnāt the best one in Michigan or Maine.
Patriot does fine in Zone 6b.
Bonus died in the -5F cold in a one gallon container outside last December.
Right now, TiftBlue is the bestā¦itās the only one that still has any berries this year!!! (Though it tastes rather mediocre in side-by-side tests for flavor.)
@jrd51 good list
Iād add Toro, Sunshine Blue and Bluegold and some others to your list though. Attractive bushes. Then also Aurora, cause usually itās the latest. (Has no fruit this year here).
Northland, NorthSky, Chippewa and Tophat arenāt ones Iād recommend for z. 6b
I have more to learn, but one of the Rabbiteye berries may eventually make the top of my list here in 6b.
An update: Most of these varieties were planted in 2021. I worked hard to properly prepare the soil. They have grown extremely well. There has been minimal damage from cold, despite a couple nights in Feb around -5 to -7 F. I harvested a decent crop this year. It would have been much better except for birds.
FWIW, I hate losing crops to pests. So I erected a PVC frame on which I will install some serious netting, but not in time for this year. I also have (and you will need) a fence that is capable of blocking deer and rabbits. And maybe some traps for chipmunks.
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I like the largest and juiciest blueberry, which is Rabbit eye varieties including Titan, Krewer etc. Yet, I have Biloxi, Chandler, Oāneal. I am planning to get Rabbit eyes. If there is anything bigger than Rabbit eye variety, please let me know. I am not looking for super sweet or super flavor. I am more into texture (crunch) and nutritional value. As long as it is not tart, that will do.
Sweetcrisp has the best texture of any blueberry Iāve eaten. And up to 26 brix. Normal blueberries are half that at best. Sweet and crunchy, very crunchy.
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if you have heavy clay Patriot is your best bet. its also one of the hardiest highbush there is. Chippewa beats it flavor wise. why i mix all my blues together. they pretty much ripen the same time. have Patriot, Northland, Northsky and Brunswick lowbush. i have 1 other highbush i dont know the name of. has much lighter leaves and darker fruit. bears heavily but its not the best tasting. all my Hartmannās blues made it but they are in pretty bad shape. why the hell they used peat pots is beyond me. everything else was in plastic.
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I didnāt notice any mention of Duke, a fairly early variety with good flavor and fruit size. I planted one bush in 2018 and found it to be very productive this year. Some website said that it is good for zones 4-7, but Iām in zone 8b.
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Everyone has their own unique and different taste to what their favorite variety would be. To me, I like a variety that has the size, high sweetness level with just a hint of acidic level, most definitely crispiness. and most importantly flavor! So far for me it is āPink Icingā. Hopefully Iāll be able to taste Cara Choice and Sweetcrisp as other in here gives high praise to it hehe.
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A zone 8 or 9 in Canada isnāt the same as a zone 8 or 9 in Floridaā¦if you get enough chill hours, you should be able to grow most any blueberry Iād think.
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How to tell which is my favorite if the tags were lost? Some of them I know, a few I donāt.
Of the ones I know, Climax were very good and highly productive this year. Pink Lemonade were good as well. Itās one where the tag was lost but I can kind of tell which one it is. 
The best tasting one by far though, was I think one of these 4: Chandler, Sweetheart, TIffblue or Bluecrop.
If my notes are correct 2 are NHB, 1 SHB and a Rabbiteye. All the berries are gone, it only had perhaps a dozen. One of the smallest/shortest bushes of any I have, but then it may grow to be the largest. All I know is they were amazing tastingā¦
So short of comparing the berries next year, any way to tell which it might be?
Itās not really large enough yet but if it continues to taste this good, Iāll attempt to propagate more bushes from it. Or perhaps purchase more if it can be accurately IDāed.
Thanks.
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TifBlue is a nice plantā¦but I canāt think of it as winning any taste tests.
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try taking some cuttings from it in the fall and sticking them in ground with mulch covering most of the cutting, preferably in a spot that gets afternoon shade. keep it moist during dry spells ive had 70% take like that. they put down roots over winter then push growth in the spring. worked so well, ive given away blueberry plants because i have too many.
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I have also found it is very important to not pick them too soon after they turn blue. Mine were the sweetest when they were greatly delayed being picked due to illness.
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If your names are correct,Chandler, Sweetheart and Bluecrop are NHB.Tiffblue is Rabbiteye.
Chandler should produce the largest berries.Sweetheart,even though a mix of NHB and SHB,is probably more a colder temp plant and has the unique characteristic of two crops,one in May-June and then August.
I usually can tell Rabbiteyes,by their growth habit,long canes and leaves.Bluecrop is fairly popular,but I havenāt grown that one.
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@GuyThatLikesPlants True there is no ābestā. Some criteria could be cold hardiness, sweetness, flavor, fruit size, plant size, quantity of fruit, shrub attractiveness, shade tolerance, PH requirement, etc. All the named varieties are being sold because someone likes them.
I lost the tag from my favorite. It may be Bluecrop. Itās a favorite because of flavor and its sun requirement is less then some.
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Hey! Up here un sw lower michigan Duke is the early winner, shortly after patriot. Blue Crop continues to be a favorite of mine and is still planted at 2ā within rows. ugly, sparce foliage workhorse. At my friends commercial grow he also has Draper. LOADED. Impressed with the load, pick most all at once, big berries. Great texture, flavor good but boring, juicy and heavy $$.
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Bradybb, I planted Sweetheart in 2020; and it grew well and produced loads of flowers this year. However, the berries are incredibly small and almost useless. You mention that this is a colder temp plant. Do you think that zone 8b is too warm in the winter for this variety? It is certainly not too hot for it during summer here in the Pacific Northwest. I am getting similar results from Rancocas.
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